Amber Rudd to announce crackdown on dark web

Home secretary pledges 9m to help combat online criminals dealing in drugs, child pornography and guns

Home secretary Amber Rudd is to announce a crackdown on criminals who exploit the dark web in pursuit of drug deals, child pornography, guns, credit scams and other illegal activities. About 9m has been set aside by the Home Office in a push to try to clean up the dark web, a largely hidden part of the internet whose users can operate with relative anonymity.

Rudd is to make the announcement on Wednesday afternoon at a conference in Manchester organised by the National Cyber Security Centre, the front window for the government surveillance agency GCHQ.